Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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John Daley reporting A long-time Utah family business is the target of a "high-tech -nightmare."
It's a mysterious case of identity theft that's becoming more and more common.
The company is Mrs. Cavanaugh's, known to Utahns for decades for their tasty chocolates.
Now, someone has hi-jacked the company's name and phone number, in an apparent attempt to steal other people's credit card numbers.
"Life is like a box of chocolates--you don't know what you'll get."
For sure--the folks at Mrs. Cavanaugh's never expected what they've been getting.
"Michigan, Indiana, Texas, Texas, New Jersey, California, West Virginia, Michigan."
Paul Jensen, Mrs. Cavanaugh's general manager, says for two weeks their store at the University Mall in Orem has been getting 100 calls an hour from all over the country...
The calls are from people infuriated, because some bogus telemarketer is calling them using Mrs. Cavanaugh's name AND phone number.
Paul Jensen General Manager/Mrs. Cavanaugh's: "You look down at the caller id and it says Mrs. Cavanaugh's and the 801 prefix. You're gonna say that looks legitimate. Once they get you on the phone they try every means to try to get you to try to part with your personal information and credit information."
Police call this high-tech trick "spoofing." But no one knows who is doing it--it could even be from Canada or India.
Bob Wright FBI Spokesman: "Very difficult to track. Uh, the calls that are being made could be made anyplace in the world. And the individual receiving this telephone call thinks it's coming from Utah when in reality it's not."
Paul Jensen says he's spent 100 hours trying to figure out how to stop it.
Paul Jensen General Manager/Mrs. Cavanaugh's: "We have no idea. We're a victim just like everybody else.”
I spoke to Mrs. Cavanaugh herself on the phone tonight.
She is just worried sick it will ruin her company's reputation, and is victimizing many other people.
She's urging anyone with any information about this--to call Orem police--or the FBI.
